Life Of A Showgirl Draws Mixed Reviews

By Madeline McGuire

Taylor Swift recently released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and it has received plenty of criticism, which is surprising coming from her “swifties.” Many of her fans have been finding it polarizing and disappointing compared to her previous work. Some fans dislike its surface-level lyrics, focus on wealth and detractors, and musical direction, while others are reassessing their fandom due to the perceived disconnect with the artist’s past work. A few tracks are considered enjoyable by some, but many fans feel the album is forgettable and falls short of Taylor Swift’s usual high standards.

Many fans have seen her more of an entertainer than a real person, commenting on how they like her music better when she’s having relationship troubles. A lot of fans say her new album is “too happy,” and lacks the emotional depth she has had in her previous albums, due to her relationships. However, many other fans enjoy the album’s upbeat and joyful tone, while some critique it for other reasons, such as lyrical weakness or a perceived mismatch between its aesthetic and lyrical themes. There is no single “Swiftie” opinion, as reactions are varied.

The album is considered “A mid-tempo pop ballad with country influences.” It has been known to have a mix of a few different genres such as Dance/Electronic, Turkish Indie, and New Age. It has been described as a “retro pop and soft rock album, with influences of disco pop and country rock, as well as accents of grunge, reggae, and trap.” It is said to “take heavy inspiration from cabaret tunes and stage productions.[29]Swift’s music has gone from country, to pop, to folk, and back to pop again, but now she has a little change with this new album.” It seems that her happiness with her engagement to Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce, is deeply expressed in her music, which many swifties love and find very exciting.

Some critics find the album “fun” and “joyful,” white others find it “dull” and “lacking in sparkle.” Journalists characterized the critical reception of The Life of a Showgirl as mixed[b] or positive. Swift herself responds to the negative reviews by “embracing the conversation, stating that any publicity helps in the first week, and emphasizing respect for subjective opinions on art.” Taylor Swift has done a fantastic job getting attention, even bad attention, and just staying true to herself. She has had a very long and tough career, but she is still doing a wonderful job with her music and pleasing her fans.

Taylor Swift was born on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, so she was born country. Many of her older fans, such as myself, grew up with her country music on her first three albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, and Speak Now. Even her fourth album, Red, is a bit pop-country in ways. So those fans are happy that she is going back to her country roots a bit in some of her newer pop albums. Even on her electropop and synth-pop album, Reputation, her song New Years Day is considered country because of the nice, slower sound, and because it was sent to country radio stations in November 2017, marking her first country single release since 1989.

Overall, The Life of a Showgirl has mixed reviews from several different critics and plenty of swifties, both old and new. Taylor Swift has both surprised and impressed me with her popularity and how she still stays very down-to-earth, despite her fame. I personally think the album isn’t too bad, especially considering my love for her country music. She has both upbeat pop songs and slower country-sounding songs on this album. It is a good album altogether, and Taylor Swift is officially happy ever since getting engaged to Travis Kelce, which we are all very excited for and happy for her.